


Have You Ever Felt Replaced

by Tsuukai



Series: Collected Fragments [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, No Plot/Plotless, Retrospective, Winter Cup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-07 07:40:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1890552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsuukai/pseuds/Tsuukai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daiki’s good at ignoring things that should matter, but this time, he thinks it’ll be easier to get perspective because he might have been ‘replaced’ as a light to Tetsu’s shadow, but he could be something else to the teen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Have You Ever Felt Replaced

**Author's Note:**

> Um…not quite spoilers to the anime since I’ve been…vague. Did it under a few minutes, so definitely…choppy.
> 
> Can be seen as a hint towards AoKuro (friendship or otherwise). The question really sparked my Aomine-feels. Sorry OTL
> 
> Repost from my Tumblr >.>

_Have you ever felt replaced?_

The ad had hardly passed the circumference of his visual periphery when he caught the beginnings of it, before the coy actors took up screen time and played out a drama-infested twenty-second reason for using their services. He did not care for what it was, but the emphatically spoken and flashing question made him pause just outside of Sendagaya Station*, inevitably inconveniencing pedestrians and passengers alike. His hunkering frame remained rooted until soft persistent palms on his bent back urged him to move forward, not excusing the irritation in the voice of his companion. Satsuki’s put-upon tone never left his hearing as she complained (not that he always pays attention to what the spitfire says), but it remained as a beacon guiding him to the stadium.

It was funny how that one question froze all mental cognisance. He remembered in Middle School, how Akashi had this power over him when he fooled about, before he had warped in the head. It was probably the only time that he had tensed up, afraid (for what, he did not know), and it was a feeling he did not like to repeat. This time, however, was slightly different. It was like the cold air seeped straight into his chest and lodged like a stake, shifting with every step he took.

Daiki knew, though, the answer to the question. He never  _felt_  replaced; he was replaced. And he had been informed bit by the person doing the replacing, but by the pink haired girl shoving her mitten hands deep into her winter jacket, shivering to keep warm. He had not understood then, the feeling encompassing him when he had heard about the ‘new’ light—it meant there was a light before—and meeting Kagami made him unnecessarily cold. Cold with the knowledge that someone  _beneath_  him had the gall to replace  _him_ , and that to with Kagami, the infernal hothead. A hothead he could not stop being surprised about and constantly wasting money to travel and see his plays against tough opponents, looking at ease every time he defeated said opponents. It annoyed him, but deep inside he knew; he was invigorated.

All Daiki did then was to play it off, burying the horribly conflicting emotions of being excited on all occasions of seeing Kagami triumph, and the dark, grimy feeling of knowing Kagami’s spot had been his just a year back.

He turned to face the suddenly elated Satsuki as she went on about ‘Tetsu-kun’; brain not really using his ears to take in what she was saying but understanding her train of conversation. Just like how he was trying to force his brain not to think about it. About this whole ‘replacement’ that he was feeling betrayed about. Why did it matter now, anyway? He was where he had to be, and he was on the road of enjoying basketball again, so why, why did he have to sulk over that stupid dumb add?!

So Daiki did what he did best—ignored it. He knew the thoughts and emotions would fester if left unattended, but he had no time for it now. Tetsu had no time to sort this out with him, because he knew, knew from the bottom of his slowly warming heart, that he could not do it by himself. And if there was one person who could always put him in perspective, it was Tetsu, his one and only shadow no matter if Tetsu had replaced him with someone else, someone he too thought was bright enough to outshine him (not like he would ever, ever say it out loud).

Daiki shrugged, tucking his ears into the cover his shoulders provided, entering the crowded stadium already loud with cheers and proclamations of awesome play. He grinned, wholeheartedly, as he saw Kagami drop down from a dunk before turning to Tetsu and sharing a fist bump. He would get that perspective soon enough, there was no hurry. He might have been replaced as a ‘light’, but he thinks he can still try for something else.

Over the loud cheering and bright lights, he watched as Seirin won their place in the semi-finals.

**Author's Note:**

> Sendagaya Station is the closest (a minute or so) subway/metro station to the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium where, if I’m not mistaken, the Winter Cup takes place.


End file.
